Sengoku Berry
by Ichko
Summary: Ichigo is thrown into the Sengoku era, but there is a catch... why is everyone of importance a girl?
1. Chapter 1

**Sengoku Berry chapter 1**

**I do not own Bleach or the Ambitions of Oda Nobuna**

* * *

Total confusion.

That was the condition of Ichigo's mind as he ran across a field of tall grass with his two companions, the sounds of battle all around them. The last thing he remembered was going home after been at Urahara's place, then turning a corner and bumping into a guy, the very same one that was running next to him, and then…this.

The boy that he had bumped into has somehow realized where they were, Ichigo having heard him mumbling something along the lines of Sengoku era and the orange-head was rather inclined to believe him, everyone around them wearing old armor. It was either that or they have somehow ended in the biggest cosplay convention ever. Yoshiharu Sagara was his name, a brown-haired boy wearing what Ichigo would call a middle-school uniform.

Their third companion was a young adult, wearing armor lacking any markings. It was as they were running that this adult in question suddenly fell forward, face first into the dirt. Ichigo and Yoshiharu instantly kneeled by his side as he has saved their lives, Ichigo putting a hand on the mans' breast plate.

"To die by a stray bullet… what a stupid way to go…" mumbled out the man.

So far, the due has only been running, barely taking in anything around them. Yet now, with blood staining Ichigo's hand it was beginning to click in that this was all too real.

"Hang in there, old man!" shouted out Ichigo, pressing the wounds through the armor with one hand while undoing the armor straps with the other.

"Your name is… Sagara Yoshiharu? My dream of wealth, castle and women… I want to pass onto you…" said the man taking the boy's hand in his own.

"What are you talking about…?! Hang in there!" responded Yoshiharu.

"Run… Yoshiharu, Ichigo…"

"Don't you die on us! Hang in there! I don't even know your name!"

"My name is… Kinoshita Tokichiro"

"Tokichiro… TOYOTOMI HIDEYOSHI?!"

"What?" said Ichigo, his eyes wide in disbelieve. He was a long shot from an A in history, but he knew just who Toyotomi Hideyoshi was.

"Don't die! Otherwise history will be all messed up!" yelled Yoshiharu, taking the dying man by both his shoulders.

"You must serve Nobunaga and unify Japan!" continued the brown-haired boy.

"Nobunaga? The head… of the Oda clan… is Oda Nobuna…" were the man's last words and it would seemed that only Ichigo registered them. All his time spent around the recently deceased has made him aware of when it was truly over. He could almost feel it.

Yoshiharu screamed before suddenly, in a strange change in demeanor he got up with a smile on his face.

"I see! This is a dream! I just love Nobunaga's ambition so much, I must have fallen asleep while playin-"

Before he could finish, he was brought to the ground by a horse, revealing a blond girl riding it.

She jumped from her horse and bisected a rider, who, just like her, appeared out of nowhere. Suddenly, another armed man appeared, aiming to slice the girl in half from head to toe, the blond brining her sword up to block, only to have it shatter in two.

Ichigo did not really want to get involved. He swore not to let innocent people get hurt, but she has already killed a man, in front of their eyes no less. And to top it all… he forgot his badge at Kisuke. Yet before Ichigo can make up his mind, Yoshiharu did it for him.

"Hold up just a second! You cannot let pretty girls get killed just like that!" yelled out the blond, coming to stand in front of the girl with his arms spread wide.

"Oda soldiers? Very well, then…" said the armed assailant in orange armor, raising his sword, another of the same faction coming to stand behind him.

"Are you going to stop me with bare hands?" asked the armed man.

"Who cares? Finish them off!" said his companion. As the footman charged, Yoshiharu began rummaging through his pockets with a frantic look on his face while Ichigo just as franticly was looking around for any sort of weapon.

With a shout, Yoshiharu brought his hands forth and played something on the phone that he held, screams and shouts coming from it.

"Nobunaga's ambitions free download soundtrack!" he said with a smug look on his face.

The enemy soldier stopped dead in his tracks.

"Does he have an entire army in that tiny box? Is he a magician?" whispered the disbelieving enemies.

"Who knows? I just might be-" and then… the phone battery died.

"KILL THEM!" shouted once again the enemy rider.

Yoshiharu brought the girl to the floor, shielding her with his body and awaited his end before a clang of metal on metal resonated above the pair. Looking up, both he and the girl saw Ichigo holding off the assailant, a blood-stained katana in his hand.

"Get lost!" shouted out the orange-head, pushing the enemy back and not a second later, riders appeared around the trio, ignoring them and heading for the enemy, a feminine shout prevailing above the thundering of hooves.

"Run! It's the Demon Shibata!"

"And we almost killed the Oda general…" complained one of the running enemies.

As Yoshiharu was looking back and forth between the downed girl and the retreating warriors, mumbling something, Ichigo fixed his gaze on the approaching rider, the very same one that led the cavalry.

"Are you alright?" asked the rider, looked at the blond on the ground.

"I am fine. Keep advancing towards Imagawa!" she responded. As the horsewoman rode off, the blond shifted her gaze to Yoshiharu.

"And you… when will you get off!" she shouted before kicking him off of herself.

"How dare you bring the head of the Oda clan to the ground." She said, standing up and dusting herself before looking at her advancing forces." Atleast you could have picked up a sword like your companion." The blond continued, casting a momentary glance at Ichigo who was eyeing her curiously.

"So Oda Nobunaga is head of the clan…" said Yoshiharu through a pained grunt.

"Who is this Nobunaga? I am the head of the Oda clan, Oda Nobuna!" the now named Nobuna said, striking a pose.

Ichigo on the other hand was scratching his head, confusion written all over his face.

"Come again?"

* * *

"So, your trick back on the field was not magic." Stated Nobuna.

The army has returned to her castle a while back, and both Ichigo and Yoshiharu, along with Nobuna and her retainers were seated in a rather spacious room with a nice view of the gardens. There were two new faces in the room, a beautiful dark-haired girl in a crimson kimono and a child with a tiger's skin on her head.

"Is it some new foreign device?" suddenly asked the blond girl in excitement.

"You could say that… although it is useless since it ran out of power." responded Yoshiharu, bringing out his phone.

"Too bad, I was hoping for some entertainment." Said Nobuna, disappointment and boredom seeping into her voice.

"So, you want to serve the Oda family?"

"Yes, Nobunaga-sam-" he was cut off by a flying kick that reminded Ichgo of his old man, the orange-head barely resisting the urge to respond in his usual way.

As Nobuna was crushing Yoshiharu's head beneath her foot, she began yelling at him:

"What is this? You want to serve me, yet you cannot even get my name right. Are you an idiot? I told you, my name is Nobuna!"

"So, what are your names?" she asked, turning to look at Ichigo, who's hand was twitching. Before any of them could respond, the short-tempered blond started to smash Yoshiharu's head again.

"Answer faster! I hate waiting!"

"Sagara Yoshigaru!" said the boy, somehow managing to say it underneath her foot.

"Very well, I'll call you Saru. What about you?"

"Kurosaki Ichigo." Said the shinigami with a glare daring her to use THAT meaning of his name.

"For such a large man to have such a… fruity… name." said Nobuna before both boys exploded.

"My name is not Strawberry/Monkey!" they shouted at the same time. But before Ichigo could continue his rant, Yoshiharu started saying such nonsense that even Ichigo had the sudden desire to hit him. Thankfully, Nobuna beat him to it.

"Enough of your idiocies. You are Saru! That is the end!" said the blond clan head with an air of finality, leaving Yoshiharu a twitching mess on the floor.

"If this monkey is to serve us, he should have a duty." Finaly spoke up the beautiful girl that has been silent so far.

"You are right! It felt nice stepping on him so he will be in charge of my sandals!"

"Good decision. 70 points." Was the strange statement coming from the dark-haired girl.

"So, what about the strawberry?" asked Nobuna, turning to her advisors, completely ignoring Ichigo.

"My name is not strawberry! Ichigo stand for one protector!" yelled Ichigo annoyed at the blond infront of him, only to suddenly have to block a kick, courtesy of the very same girl.

"One…protector… princess, if I may. I saw Ichigo fight off one of the Imagawa soldiers. He was good, even if his style leaves much to be desired." Spoke up Katsue.

"That's because that sword was too short." Mumbled out Ichigo, yet everyone heard him.

"Oh? And what do you usually fight with? O-dachi? No-dachi? You are not a Date spy are you?" asked Nobuna, coming face to face with Ichigo, the teen pulling back from the sudden closeness.

"I guess Zangetsu would be close to a No-dachi size… wait, I am not a spy!" said Ichigo finally catching up with the barrage of questions. Nobuna eyed him for a second longer before pulling back.

"Katsue, find a proper sword for strawberry here… and maybe some armor. He did more than Saru, at any rate. Inuchiyo, show them to their housing after Katsue if finished." Said the blond, ignoring the audible teeth grinding coming from Ichigo.

* * *

Ichigo signed as he entered his new 'home'. His home was a single room in a large roll of single-story buildings, a garden with an almost hedge-like fence to the side. Still considering all the strange stuff that were happening around him, he supposed he could not complain, at this stage, anyway. Ignoring the fact that he was apparently in servitude to a feudal lord which he almost beat up on his very first day, the whole deal with going back to the past, only for it to not be exactly the past, then changing said past, ending in trying to fix the past only to screw it up even more was starting to get to his head.

Then there was his big mouth and now he was loaded with a massive sword and armor.

Sure, the sword was the length that he was used to, but normally he would simply enter his body and forget about it. Now, he had to drag that thing everywhere. Heck, the length made it almost impossible to draw if it was tied to his back or waist. It was no Zangetsu to have the bandages simply fall of and then rewrap themselves.

"I guess I'll just have to wear in in my hand all the time… just great…"

Then there was the _'great armor, which you should be grateful for'_, which was, in a word, lacking. In fact, it was only a chest piece with a single shoulder guard and the skirt plates. No hand guards, no leg guards and only a small, barely visible flower on the top of the left shoulder marking it as Oda armor. He would not be surprised if someone friendly attacked him just because it was that hard to spot.

Still, it could have been worse. It could have been Ichigo instead of Yoshiharu that was on shoe duty. Thinking about his new-found companion, Ichigo really did wonder about the boy and the way he was taking everything in so easily, but then again, it could be something wrong with the world itself considering how easily Nobuna accepted them as her servants.

In the end, Ichigo's priority was to survive in this world. He was sure that Urahara and his family would notice his disappearance and figure something out and considering this was a different world, there was not a single bit of that can of worms called time travel involved.

Ichigo's thoughts were broken by a banging sound next door and a few seconds later, another explosion went off into his own room, the orange-head realizing that it was a smoke bomb if the dense smoke was anything to go by. His forearm was suddenly grabbed by a small hand and Ichigo felt as if he was been dragged by someone doing a shunpo.

* * *

**Keeping it short, I brought Yoshiharu along because the main plot revolves around having a geek that knows everything there is about the Sengoku period and Ichigo does not really fall into that category. There was not much of Ichigo in this chapter, but things are going to change. Furthermore, Ichigo is powerless or rather, he has no access to them, but he is experienced, so there is that for his state for powers.**

**For pairing, there is a poll on my page for that since there are just too many interesting characters that he could get paired with, but sadly I cannot write a different story for each one.**

**Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed it.**

**Thank you for reading :).**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sengoku Berry chapter 2**

**I do not own Oda Nobuna no Yabou or Bleach.**

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"Juuuuuuuuust great" though aloud Ichigo, the fortress burning all around him.

A few days ago Katsue send him to the Marune fortress, a stronghold close to the border with Imagawa, to train under some guy whom Ichigo still had trouble remembering the name of. Apparently, there were not that many No-dachi masters around and Katsue found his technique lacking after a spar demanded by the brunette. A suggestion left floating around by Niwa-san and here he was.

But of course, Ichigo been Ichigo, trouble followed him wherever he went. Not two days after he arrived at the fortress, said fortress was already besieged. From what he gathered from the men around him, his…'friend' from the future had done something foolhardy north which led to Nobuna having to bail his ass out with her entire army, Imagawa Yoshimoto using the opportunity to attack defenseless Owari.

And been in one of the fortresses closest to the border, the orange-head suddenly found himself on the front lines of war.

The fortress he was in was slowly turning into dust from the fire, the gunpowder storage having exploded in the very beginning of the attack, taking out a third of the defenders before the battle even began.

Ichigo barely had time to put on his hand-down armor before the first enemy appeared over the wooden walls, a green banner over his head with a dark-green symbol that looked familiar, although Ichigo could not quite place it. What was surprising that quite a large number of the enemy soldiers actually had guns and were rather good at using it. Instead of each man firing for himself at a random direction, they had a leading officer for every couple or so of soldier.

The defenders, on the other hand, were much worse off. Almost all of their guns were gone at the very beginning of the battle and not before long, the vastly outnumbered defenders were falling like wheat.

The situation was extremely dire for Ichigo, who was coming to realize he was one of the last ones still alive in the hell around them. With the fortress surrounded and the horses having fled a long time ago, there was really no escape. What made it worse was Ichigo's reluctance to kill anyone. He might cause some wound, even coming close to taking of a guy's hand once, but so far no one has died to his blade.

Running to one of the walls, Ichigo saw enemy soldiers making their way up the slope, at least a thousand more awaiting at the base of the hill top fortress. It was there that he saw his one and probably only chance of even surviving this mess. What he had in mind was undeniable underhand and even mad, but he really had no other choice.

The enemy commander, having assumed that the fortress was almost taken, had moved to the base of the hill herself. She was easy to distinguish, basically been the only one with a different set of armor other than the dark-clad male standing right next to her.

Still, with the enemy footmen going over the walls, their gunmen had stopped firing, most likely out of fear of hitting an ally, and had moved further back, leaving nothing but around two hundred thinly-spread spearmen between him and the enemy commander.

Casting a last look at the burning wreck around him and the many dead bodies, some burned beyond recognition, Ichigo finally made up his mind.

The orange-head jumped over the walls at where his path to the enemy commander would be the shortest and began running down the hill as fast as his legs would carry him, the no-dachi held in both hand while leaning it on his right shoulder.

He was easily spotted as he rushed down the hill, his dirty-yellow colored armor contrasting with his black clothing, yet few actually came after him. It was when he was half-way down that anyone was close enough to the berry to do something about his mad rush, a simple foot soldier with a spear in his hand coming to stand in Ichigo's way.

As the enemy tried to stab Ichigo with the spear, the orange-head somehow managed to bat it away with his long sword, but due to his momentum Ichigo body-rammed the poor guy, the spear that was between the two of them snapping in pieces before the unfortunate foot soldier was sent flying a good couple of feet.

Somehow managing to stay on his two feet, Ichigo had to jump, duck and sidestep an ever-increasing number of assailants as he approached the base of the hill. The enemy commander, having figured that he was coming for her, suddenly had a panicked look on her as she was trying rather awkwardly to get back on her horse, the dark-clothed man next to her disappearing in a strange purplish swirl.

Not a second later Ichigo had to duck as the sharp end of a Kama appeared centimeters infront of his eyes. Unfortunately, that action caused Ichigo to tumble down the hell, although thankfully, he was almost at the base, the orange-head somehow managing to right himself back up fast. With all the tumbles he had taken with goat-chin's wake-up calls, this was but a walk in the park.

Taking a look around, he saw the same man that tried to decapitate him earlier throw shurikens at him, Ichigo managing to deflect one with his sword, another scraping off his shoulder plate while the last one leaving a large cut above his eyebrows, the orange-head managing to mostly twist out of the way.

'Not there again…' memories of his fight with Ikkaku were coming back as his own blood began obscuring his vision. Still, ignoring the pain Ichigo found his target two meters away, trying to turn her horse and flee.

Dashing to her side, Ichigo grabbed one of her hands and puller her from the horse, wincing at the force with which she hit the ground. While still holding her down with his left hand, he brought the tip of the oversized katana to the girl's neck. He really had no intention of killing her, but this way if he was shot or attacked, his dead body weight would cause the girl to be impaled. Was it underhand? Yes. Did Ichigo feel bad about doing this? Without a doubt.

Ichigo took a closer look at his captive. The girl was petite with dark green hair and amber eyes, strange hair ornaments in her hair and oddly enough was wearing glasses that did little to conceal the fear in her eyes.

The swirling of the assassin appearing a few feet away snapped Ichigo out of his daze.

"Drop your weapons!" shouted Ichigo as loud as he could, the orange-head slowly been encircled by the entire army, many guns and bows and spears been pointed at him, yet no one daring to make a move.

Everyone remained still for quite a while, the soldiers shouting insults at the last Oda loyalist. "Taking a hostage, how underhand!" "Is this the honor of Oda soldier?" yet Ichigo ignored all of them, instead locking gazes with the assassin in front of him.

"Drop them now!" shouted again Ichigo, this time everyone falling silent. A few tense moments passed before the dark-haired man's kama clattered to the ground. The many soldiers around looked surprised at this before following the action, a large array of weapons making their way to the grassy floor.

Taking a closer look around, he saw that literally everyone was disarmed, thousands of men standing in a large circle around Ichigo, who, on the other hand, was hovering above a petite girl.

'_Ok, Ichigo… now what?'_ suddenly panicked the strawberry. Ishida had more than once said that he did not think things through, and somehow, Ichigo was inclined to believe him. The shinigami wildly looked around, wracking his brain as he tried to think of any possible escape as more and more enemies were coming from the fortress. The fact that they were coming from there solidified Ichigo's impression that he was truly the last one remaining.

Seeing woods to the far left, an idea suddenly popped up in his head.

Looking once again directly at the assassin, Ichigo spoke.

"OK pal, here is what we do. Me and her go to that forest over there and you and your friends don't follow. When I feel a safe distance away I will release her, no harm done. Deal?"

"And how can I trust you? You have already proved you are not above underhand techniques like taking a hostage."

"Said the assassin." spoke Ichigo with a deadpan. The man, on the other hand, only narrowed his eyes. Sighing heavily, Ichigo began in a louder voice.

"I don't want anyone to die. Ask any man that made it up to the fortress while I was still there. I never killed anyone and I don't want to start now, especially not with a girl." A few of the man that came down from the fortress nodded their consent at his words. After all, his hair color and outrageously-big sword made him easy to remember.

The assassin continued to eye him for a while longer before speaking.

"What is your name, Oda soldier?"

"Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Kurosaki Ichigo, if you lied, I will find you and I will kill you…slowly. Let him pass." He shouted to the men who looked on in stunned disbelief.

Ichigo shifted his look back to the girl beneath him and got up, gently pulling her up as well. Ichigo removed his sword from her throat, yet did not lower it fully. Had he been in Shinigami form, he would have even 'sheathed' it, but recent events made him very aware of his own mortality.

As the green-clad soldiers parted out of the way of the duo with hateful glares on their faces, Ichigo turned back to the assassin.

"Thank you." he said, nodding his head. The black-clad man remained impassive, the widening of his eyes slightly been the only recognition.

A few minutes later, Ichigo and the girl finally entered the forest, the orange-head lowering his sword completely. The petite girl was surprised by the action, yet did not run for some reason. Ichigo would have honestly been fine with her running on this stage. By the time she made it back to her army, he would have gained a nice distance even if he was walking and they had very very few horses.

'_Oh well, easier for me.'_

As they walked, Ichigo began thinking back to the battle. All those men, people with whom Ichigo sat, had meal, laughed and trained were now dead. Yes, they were no nakama, but it still hurt and made Ichigo angry inside. Angry at this Imagawa for stating the war. Angry at Nobuna for doing something similar, but most of all, he was angry with himself for failing to protect them.

Even if he was not a good fighter, just the simple fact that he was from the future should have been enough, but sadly Ichigo was rather bad at history, barely remembering the major events of this era, the main one he remember been the Tokugawa Shogunate coming to power and honestly, he had no idea how that fit into this alternative universe timeline, as he had decided to call it.

Ichigo suddenly stopped, his eyes widening. Tokugawa shogunate… that mark.

"Hey… err… what is your name?" he awkwardly asked the girl next to him. He honestly did not want to frighten her more than he already did, but if his suspicions were true…

"Matsudaira Motoyasu." She timidly responded,Ichigo released a breath he did not realize have been holding. If only he knew…

Fully turning to face the girl, he stabbed his sword into the ground, causing the now named Motoyasu to jump slightly before Ichigo took a deep bow infront of her.

"I am very sorry for all this. Please accept my apologies."

The girl started smiling awkwardly while waving her hands around.

"It's fine, Kurosaki-san. I understand while you did it." Ichigo looked up, disbelieving by how easily she dismissed this whole ordeal. If someone tried to kidnap him with a sword to his throat, he sure as hell is not going to be so easily forgiving. Well, he might forgive them after kicking their asses around abit.

Snapping back to the present, Ichigo judged he was a fair distance away from the fortress and the enemy army.

"Look, once again, sorry for all of this…stuff." Ichigo began, scratching the back of his neck with his free hand. "You can go back now. I just hope our next meeting would be under better circumstances."

"I hope so too, Kurosaki-san." Said the girl before bowing and beginning to run back.

After finally losing her in the trees, the orange-head sighed heavily before beginning to walk in the same direction, memories and thoughs of the day plaguing him. As he walked, he suddenly realized something.

"Which way is Nobuna's castle again? Just where the hell am I anyway?"

* * *

**Yeah, a bit of a large time skip, but there would not really be any difference to how events play out up to this points and neither do I feel like writing a detailed description of the anime, nor do I think anyone would want to read that. This chapter happens in episode four of the anime and this will be where the differences to the canon start.**

**The poll gave some rather...interesting results, no revealing just yet. I gave the current winner as an option, true, but with the plot I have in mind it will be difficult for the pairing to work. Oh, well...**

**Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed it, please leave a review if you did, it really helps out. A fresh perspective and all that.**

**Thank you for reading.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sengoku Berry chapter 3**

**I do not own Bleach or Oda Nobuna no Yabou.**

* * *

Ichko has been walking for hours through the forest in the general direction of what he assumed was Nobuna's castle, but in truth, he had no real idea where he was going. To top it all off, it was getting late, the sun rays having turned golden a few minutes ago. To make matters worse than they already were, Ichigo was able to see that there were storm clouds gathering when he passed through the occasional clearing.

Having forgotten his sheet back at the fortress, Ichigo had to lean the massive sword on his shoulder, and while not heavy, it was beginning to take its tow, the orange-head constantly having to switch shoulders.

Eventually, the terrain began getting rougher and rougher, Ichigo having to go around two times already due to the ground suddenly ending in a large drop. Nevertheless, Ichigo kept going forth before once again coming to another drop, this one much sharper than the previous ones, revealing a rather beautiful scenery, but the orange-head did not have time to enjoy it.

Having come out from the dense woods, Ichigo was assaulted with the loud sounds of hundreds of horse hooves. Looking down into the valley that spread out before him, he saw a thin golden line appearing from his right, cutting into the greenery around, Ichigo quickly realizing those were Oda soldier in a rush to somewhere.

Breaking into a run, Ichigo quickly found the best way down the hill, the orange-head receiving multiple scratches and cuts as he rushed through the forest. Nevertheless, it still took him a good ten minutes before he could reach the road. Thankfully, the army was still passing through and while many saw him and recognized him as an Oda soldier, no one stopped.

'_Just my luck… Nobuna and the others I know are probably at the front' _just as he thought that, the little girl he had trouble remembering the name off appeared, riding more to the side than the main column, Yoshiharu and Goemon in the middle and opposite side respectively.

Seeing him, they pulled out of army, stopping next to him, the rest of Goemon's gang stopping as well. What first caught Ichigo's attention was that Yoshiharu wore armor, especially since he did not wear one in that crazy saving Dousan stunt, and the bloodied bandage on his arm.

"It's good to see you alive, Ichigo-senpai" said the girl with a tiger head helmet, her face as impassive as ever.

"Yeah, it's nice to be back." Said Ichigo, taking the no-dachi off from his shoulder and stabbing it into the ground, proceeding to roll his left shoulder before a small popping sound was heard.

"When we heard that Marune fortress was completely surrounded, we thought you will suwely die…" began Goemon, pausing for a while, biting her tongue.

"Yeah, well, it took some creativity getting out of that mess…" mumbled Ichigo.

"So, where's the rush for?" he further questioned.

"We found Imagawa's camp, in the base of that mountain over there." Said Yoshiharu, pointing to a mountain taller than anything around.

"We should move, Ichigo-senpai, Saru-senpai." Spoke up the purple-haired girl, the last on the Oda army appearing over the hill Ichigo was facing. The guys from Goemon's gang brought forward a horse, but the young reaper only scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"I've never ridden before… How are you even riding, Yoshiharu?" Ichigo was really confused. Horse riding was not common in Japan. In fact, Ichigo could only think of one place that offered such a thing during his class trip to the north of the country.

"My school hosted a medieval fair and I had to play the knight." Said the brown-haired boy, smiling a self-satisfied smile, obviously imagining himself in a shiny set of western armor.

"Suuuuuuuuure." Spoke Ichigo, a little creeped out by Yoshiharu's smile.

"You can ride with me, Ichigo-senpai." Said the spear-wielding petite girl.

Ichigo barely restrained himself from doing a scene at the suggestion, the orange-head having to regaining his internal composure and weigh his options. He could either try, and most likely fail to ride solo. He could team up with one of the older guys *shudders* or worse… Yoshiharu.

"Fine… thanks." Sighed heavily the orange-head as he pulled out his sword from the ground and began tying it as best as he could to the side of the horse. He then proceeded to very gingerly get onto the horse, trying as best as he could to ignore the smiles Yoshiharu and the rest of the males from Goemon's gang were sending his way.

Adjusting himself as best as he could, Ichigo seating himself right after the saddle ended, the orange-head suddenly had to grab to the closest thing he had in front of him to keep himself from falling at the way his riding companion suddenly spurred the horse, said thing happening to be Inuchiyo's waist.

They rode for another good twenty minutes, Ichigo's blush lessening overtime. The orange-head was able to get the full story in the meantime, the fact that Yoshiharu had fought with an assassin that fit the description of the one from earlier that day unnerving the strawberry. What in essence that meant was that the assassin had passed by him completely unnoticed.

Yet Ichigo had to snap back to reality as the entire army stopped in front of a shrine on a small hill overlooking some rice fields. Technically riding with one of the higher-end commander, Ichigo and his group was quickly given passage to the front, only to see Nobuna coming out of the temple clad completely in her armor and a smirk adoring her lips.

"We would be attacking Imagawa's main camp with full strength!" she declared in a loud voice, receiving a powerful cheer in response.

Still been too far away, Ichigo could only watch as a conversation took place between Nobuna and Niwa-san, her chief advisor. Then Nobuna turned back to the shrine, declaring something while accusingly pointing towards the alter. Just as she brought her hand down, lighting pierced the sky, soon followed by heavy raindrops hitting the thousands of Oda soldiers. Ichigo could hear Yoshiharu, who was a good distance forwards saying while looking up.

"More like you just made him mad."

Somehow, once again detaching himself from the reality around him, Ichigo too did look up and began wandering of the events of the past week or so. With the way things are, he would soon have to take a life. This was his third battle he was heading into, if we count the battle at his arrival as well. Yet, he was yet to actually kill someone. Thinking back on it, Ichigo came to the surprising conclusion that in the end, the only one he has truly killed is Ginjo, but a month or so ago. And back then, it was strange for the strawberry. He did not enjoy the act he committed, yet he understood why he had to do it. Surprisingly, he even had a mature conversation with old goat-chin about it after the whole memory change act was done.

A raindrop falling just beneath his right eye snapped him out of his mussing, the rain bringing him back to reality just as the army began moving towards Imagawa's camp as an even faster pace before the ground soaked up good. Using rain as cover is one thing, but dilly-dallying long enough for it to become a hindrance even to you is another.

As some of his longer bang became soaked and fell in front of his eyes, obscuring his already limited vision due to a tiger helmet in front of him, Ichigo could only think one thing.

'_I hate the rain…'_

* * *

The battle was coming to an end, the attack reminding Ichigo of the Lord of the Rings somehow with the way they charged down the hill. All that was missing was the sun rising behind them. That and a wizard. Having jumped from Inuchiyo's horse at the very beginning, Ichigo was just now making his way to the heart of the camp and he came upon a sight that left him both blushing and with a gaping mouth.

Yoshimoto, which he remembered from when he first came into this era, was lying on the ground, her dress having pulled up a lot, revealing most of her slim legs. Add that to the fact that the layers of kimono that she wore were soaked and were clinging to her made Ichigo have difficulty tearing his gaze away.

But the icing on the cake was Yoshiharu who was groping Katsue's generous bosom from behind in a very suggestive position, shouting something about beautiful girls, while the samurai girl had her halberd lifted over her head, ready to cleave Yoshimoto in two.

Deciding enough is enough, Ichigo moved forth, delivering a kick to Yoshiharu's head.

"What the hell is wrong with you, you pervert!"

The kick sent his companion from the future sailing a good two meters, the brown-haired boy landing in a heap. Hearing a thud behind him, he turned to see Katsue had dropped her halberd and was kneeling on the ground, hugging herself, mumbling:

"I have been desecrated."

Ichigo, unsure how to react, gingerly put his hand on her head and said:

"It's ok now… he's out cold." He said, trying to reassure the girl as best as he could.

"I…cannot marry now…"

Ichigo was surprised by the statement, his mouth forming an uneasy smile.

Still, seeing the other girl standing infront of them, still cowering brought him back to the matter at hand.

A scowl making his way back to his features, Ichigo stepped forth past Katsue, coming to stand infront of Yoshimoto. The girl began to tremble even more as her eyes landed on Ichigo's sword, the blood of it dripping to the ground, been washed away by the rain. Realizing this fact, Ichigo sighed heavily before stabbing the sword into the ground to the side before kneeling infront of her, coming face to face.

The orange-head really had little to no respect for Imagawa, especially after all that she started, but she was still a girl, a very helpless one at that very moment and his principles forced him to act as much as he wished to simply leave the matter to Katsue and her much simpler solution.

"Look, how about you surrender and end this madness." Spoke Ichigo, as evenly as he could, the tiredness from the day seeping into his voice.

This was his second battle of the day and he was sure that had there been no clouds, it would already be, if not past sunset.

"I would not surrender just like that." Spoke up the girl, lifting her head up high. With the sword out of the way, she was no longer shivering.

"Look, it's either that or that girl behind me gets her wish." Said Ichigo, speaking of Katsue.

"And how am I to know that you are not just going to kill me after?"

"I promise it. And I always keep my promises."

Yoshimoto suddenly saw Katsue getting up from the ground, a blush and a sorrowful expression still on her face, yet the spear finding its way back to her hand. The Imagawa daimyo did not need further persuasion then the glare that marred the Oda commander's face when their eyes met.

She suddenly smiled at Ichigo, adoption her usual persona.

"You have convinced me, Oda soldier-san. It would seem I, Imagawa Yoshimoto may have to forfeit." She overelaborately said, causing Ichigo to slightly sweat drop.

Getting back to his feet, Ichigo extended his hand to the girl, Yoshimoto gracefully accepting it, the orange-haired man pulling her up just as footsteps were heard behind them. Letting go of Yoshimoto's hand and turning around, Ichigo came face to face with Nobuna and all of her retainers.

"Oh, Ichigo. You are alive! I though you died back at Marune fortress." Said Nobuna, smiling.

"Reeeaally?" said Ichigo with a deadpan.

"He was with us at the shrine, hime-sama." Spoke up Niwa, smiling at Nobuna's sudden discomfort.

"Anyway, just kill Yoshimoto and let's be done with this." Said Nobuna uncaringly.

"I am afraid I cannot let you do that." Returned Ichigo, causing everyone to raise their eyebrows.

Seeing their looks Ichigo scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"I sort of promised her that she will live… plus the battle is over, she surrendered. There is no need."

"Is that so… I see…"said Nobuna slowly, suddenly gaining a thoughtful look before an evil glint appeared in her eyes.

"Then from now on, she is your responsibility. She will live with you, feed with you. If she escapes, it will be your head that will fly off." Said Nobuna with an outright devilish smile.

It took some time for Ichigo to process what was said before he exploded.

"What?! How can you expect me to do that, especially with what you are paying me right now!"

"Figure it out. It is your promise, not mine." Said Nobuna, walking away. Many of the retainers gave Ichigo a look of sympathy, both for his funds will go through and what he himself will have to endure mentally. The arrogance and snobbishness of Yoshimoto was rather well known.

As Ichigo began massaging his temples, a headache already forming, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"I am in your hands, Ichigo-san. Do take care of me." Said Yoshimoto with a smile.

'_Juuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuust great…'_

* * *

**Just a note, in the light novels when Yoshiharu first comes into this world in the middle of the Oda-Imagawa battle, he first runs into Imagawa's camp and asks to be made a vassal/retainer/servant (depends on the translation). This is why Ichigo would recognize her instantly.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. Somehow, this chapter felt rather rushed at places but I feel it would be pointless to repeat the story that we all know when most people would literally simply skip it.**

**Leave your thoughts in the reviews or PM me, final pairings are not solid yet.**

**Additionally, I have two major plot ideas. One would be sticking more closely to canon, while the other would be so diverse I would have to majorly borrow from other sources just to fill in the gaps.**

**Thank you for reading.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sengoku Berry chapter 4**

**I do not own Oda Nobuna no Yabou or Bleach**

* * *

Ichigo was sitting on the porch of his new home, simply staring at the small garden in front of him, one of his legs pulled up to his chest while the other was hanging loosely over the edge, the orange-head leaning against the wall of the small house.

Having finally gotten some time away from his 'duties', the orange-head truly started to dwell on the recent events. Coming to this, some would say primitive, age, Ichigo felt rather strange. All the constant fighting, the political dealings and so on were beginning to get to him, a slight headache already forming just thinking about it.

After his last battle was finished, the Oda army was approached by the host from Mikawa, who, upon learning of Imagawa's defeat claimed independence and signed an alliance with Nobuna. Needless to say, it was an awkward meeting Motoyasu, the daimyo of Mikawa, especially with Yoshimoto having made her mission to shadow Ichigo, least she meet, in her words, the rude spear lady.

The timid girl quickly waved off all the apologies that Ichigo gave her, the green-head shrugging them off as it was nothing new for her. It was only later that Ichigo learned of her history of been a constant pawn that changed sides in the war between Oda and Imagawa. Been taken captive was literally nothing new for her. What was strange was Ichigo's encounter with the Mikawa assassin, the blue-clad man finally introducing himself as Hattori Hanzo.

The man was not exactly friendly, but neither was he hostile.

'_You do keep your word, so it seems…'_ Ichigo remembered the man saying.

'_Although what is included in your promises some might find questionable.'_ He said, casting a pointed look at Yoshimoto who only hid behind her fan. Before Ichigo could even formulate a response, the man had already disappeared.

Finally returning to Nobuna's stronghold on the next day, Ichigo was glad for Nagahide, who at times seem to be the only voice of reason around this entire province. Even Yoshiharu, for all his knowledge of the era, was incredibly foolish most of the time. What the Oda adviser did was push Nobuna to give Ichigo a promotion, been the sole survivor of the Marune fortress battle and the credit for capturing Yoshimoto going to him.

In the end, Ichigo was given the rank of captain, placing him just beneath Katsue and Nigahide, although the title did cause a slight twitch to develop on Ichigo's eyebrows, the name reminding him of the guys back at soul society, especially when he was presented with a haori. Thankfully, he later learned that it was more of a ceremonial thing and that in the day to day life he could wear what he wanted.

Still, that piece of clothing that Ichigo would never wear was not the only thing that came with his increase in rank. A house, a rather small one, but a house nonetheless was given to the orange-head and his wage had a hefty increase.

The house was more of a shed in his opinion, a single story house with white walls and rice-paper doors. It had a total of three rooms, a very very very small kitchen area, what would be called a living room with a fireplace in the center and a bedroom. The only other thing to the house was the tall fence wall and the small garden it encircled. It lacked a proper bathroom, but there was a public one not that far down the route.

Comparing it to his old place, this one was not that bad… if it was not for his charge.

Yoshimoto Imagawa, although in the beginning was sort of obedient and silent, still shaken from the battle and her brush with death cough*Katsue*cough, she was beginning to show more and more of her true self.

A highborn, arrogant, I-am-always-right brat. When the house was finally assigned to Ichigo, the girl quickly claimed the entire bedroom for herself, although Ichigo would not have minded… if she had only not taken all the mats for herself, stacking them so that she may sleep more comfortably.

His back still hurt from having to sleep on the floor on the first night before he went and bought a mat for himself the next day. In the end, Ichigo perhaps actually got the better end of the deal, getting to sleep in the room with the fireplace. It was still warm, but come winter, the rice-paper doors would do little to ward off the cold.

'_Why am I thinking about spending winter here…'_

There were many more awkward moments that the duo went the several following days, like when they both stubbornly sat and waited for lunch to be made one day, Yoshimoto having never cooked in her life and Ichigo, while too having never cooked, knew how to do so in theory, although lacking modern appliances, it would be next to impossible for him. In the end, after half an hour of stubborn silence, Ichigo gave the kitchen his best shot.

Yoshimoto did a victory dance, literally, although seeing the final result she was considering taking her chances with leafs from the trees in the yard. While she refused to eat Ichigo's 'masterpiece' the orange-head stubbornly began eating, mentally repeating to himself that he will never again complain about Orihime's cooking.

Not even half-way through the meal, they were both saved from starvation and food poisoning by a soldier at the door, saying that Ichigo was called to the castle, which by extent meant that Yoshimoto would go with him.

Inside the stronghold, Yoshimoto gathered many glares, both on the way there and once inside, her smug behavior not really helping the matter. A quick lunch was held before both her and Nobuna's brother went to the yard to play with a ball, leaving the rest free from 'distractions' to discuss their further course of actions.

It was there and then that Ichigo learned about Nobuna's marriage proposal by Asai Nagamasa, and while Ichigo did not really know much of the guy's political standings or military power, it was painfully obvious that Nobuna was neither prepared, nor wanted to marry him. And while she did hide her true feelings, Yoshiharu outright refused to even accept the notion of that marriage happening.

'_That guy really is a pervert.' _though Ichigo _'First he gropes Katsue, then declared he wants the most beautiful girl in the world for himself, then opposes Nobuna's marriage and above all, screams like a banshee when he learned Yoshimoto is to stay with me."_

Ichigo sighed heavily, snapping back to the present. It was quiet right now around the house. The town has emptied a little, Nobuna having taken a sizable host to capture Mino, leaving but a handful of men in Owari.

Yoshimoto was taking a nap and Ichigo was glad for it. The girl has her rare moments when she can make even Ichigo crack a smile, but most of the time she was a nuisance, constantly wanting to chat or for them to play something. Of course, her definition of chat was gossiping and bad mounting, and while that was bad enough on itself, almost all of the people that she spoke of were completely unknown to Ichigo.

The only other people that were left in Owari were those that retreated from Mino. Old man Dousan, that Yoshiharu went to rescue along with Goemon and her gang. A stunt that eventually led to Yoshimoto's invasion. The only other high-ranking people left were Dousan's daughter, a timid, shy closed girl from what Ichigo once saw and his retainer. A girl that he cannot really remember the name of, her most distinctive features been the extremely long hair and foul mouth, easily insulting everyone. She was an individual who Ichigo prefers to ignore, if only to save himself a headache from her high-pitched voice. '_Seriously, who wears leather high-heels with traditional clothes…' _

Ichigo let his hand fall to the no-dachi laying on the porch next to him, finally in a sheet. Taking the sword in his hand, Ichigo though on just how many more lives he would have to take before this madness ends, or better yet, before he goes home. Killing did not come easy for him and he avoided it if he could. Naturally, only two battles were not enough for Ichigo to truly get a feel of how he stood as far as killing is concerned, some of the older samurai around having told him that it gets easier with time, although if he was to be honest with himself, Ichigo did not want it to become easier.

His train of though was interrupted by a door sliding to his right, Yoshimoto appearing beside him, only two layers of the usual five layers of clothing on her, her hair lacking the usual dragon ornament. It was not what some would call bed-hair, but nor was it in order.

"Mouu, Ichigo, you should stop scowling all the time." She said, her voice having a slight hint of sleep still in it.

Said berry only sighed heavily, his scowl increasing. Ichigo deciding to play the 'ignore her and maybe she will shut up' game. Unfortunately for him, she did not.

"So what will we be having for dinner, Ichigo? Although it is rather early, you should go and buy something, you know? You cannot let the beautiful Imagawa Yoshimoto starve!" she said, covering her face with her fan.

With a slight tick on Ichigo's eyebrows been her only response, she decided to continue, seeing she will soon break through his defences.

"It feels like I have been forever in these clothes… oh I guess I have. How rude of Shingen Takeda to invade my home, don't you agree? Now I cannot even get my clothes…" said Yoshimoto, pouting.

Ichigo looked at her from the corner of his eyes, seeing her looking at the ground, her fan having lowered, revealing her sad face.

Her home, Suruga, was occupied by the Tiger of Kai almost instantly after the news of her capture were made public, and with Mikawa declaring independence, Yoshimoto was truly alone. While she tried to put a brave mask, as people would call it, Ichigo knew that it was a lie. All her laughter and jokes and mocking were a cover for what she was truly feeling becoming, in essence, an Oda prisoner.

It was not that hard to figure out even for Ichigo, especially after having been woken by soft crying in the dead of night. It was an awkward moment, Ichigo silently trying to console her, brushing away her tears with his fingers and letting her fall asleep after a simple _'I will keep my promise.'_ The girl was, for all her facades, rather uncertain, constantly uttering 'why', referring to Ichigo saving her.

On the next morning, neither of them spoke about it and went about their usual routine, Yoshimoto endlessly talking and Ichigo trying his best to ignore her.

Back to the present, Ichigo though deeply on his course of actions. He did not particularly like her, especially after how casually she was throwing away her soldier's lives. But right at this very moment, she was nothing but a sad, lonely girl.

" Say, Ichigo, Nobukatsu told me of this game whe-" Yoshimoto began in her cheerful voice before been cut off.

"So you need clothes…?" Ichigo began, speaking for the first time. The orange-head got up, sword in hand before extending his right hand to the girl, who stood there as if stunned.

"Well? Do you want them or not? The shops will not be open forever, plus we have to buy dinner…" Ichigo mumbled the last part. He was already not comfortable with having to buy every meal instead of cooking from themselves. Even with his increased pay, he was still buying for two.

"I knew you would come around, my faithful servant." Said the brown-haired girl, a smile on her face, snapping her fan shut and allowing Ichigo to pull her up.

"For the last time..." Ichigo said, a tick mark on his forehead." I am not your servant!" shouted the orange-head, receiving a smile for his effort.

* * *

**Thank you for reading.**


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